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compressed fibre
cement sheet
Sand
Vermiculite
insulating layer
Hotface layer
Paver skirt
Paver floor
Angle iron
supports
400 x 200 x 200mm
masonry block base
Bulk fill
10mm thick
galvanised
steel lintel
Stainless steel flue
Internal height of
oven 375 to 450mm
40mm tile surround
Oven door
(right angle shown)
Decomposed
granite fill
Fill cavity openings
with concrete
Half block
Diagram A
Internal height of
oven 375 to 450mm
12mm-thick
compressed
cement sheet
Decomposed
granite fill
Vermiculite
insulating layer
Hotface layer
Paver skirt
Paver floor
Angle iron
supports
400 x 200 x 200mm
masonry block base
Bulk fill
10mm- thick
galvanised
steel lintel
Stainless steel flue
40mm-thick tile surround
Oven door
(right angle shown)
Diagram B
Sand
300mm
500mm
5mm wedge
placed at
corners
Diagram C
30mm
JULY 2008
oven
Do you love cooking and dining alfresco?
Then move on from the backyard barbecue
and build yourself a wood-fired pizza oven
wood-fired
AS
SEEN
ON
Theyll be lining up at the
garden gate for a table when
you stoke up your pizza oven
and wonderful smells fill the air.
B
uilding your own low-tech wood-fred pizza oven is a
substantial undertaking. But the whole process can be reduced
to a series of small steps. And you dont have to build the
whole thing in a weekend. It is built from the ground up, starting
with the base, the cooking surface and then the dome. The oven can
be built on any flat site, or even on a terraced bank of earth behind a
retaining wall, as long as it is well compacted and drained properly.
The oven is built with a raised, solid paver floor supported at a
comfortable working height.
The massive floor provides a
heatbank in which the heat of
the oven can be stored. While
the supporting base could be
built of various materials, bricks
or masonry blocks are ideal.
As this low-tech oven is
principally unfired adobe, it is
not weather-resistant and will
need to be sheltered from the
rain. This can take the form
of a plastic or vinyl cover (the
chimney can be withdrawn),
similar to a barbecue cover,
or a small skillion roof can be
built over the oven.
HERES HOW
STEP 1 (see Diagrams A and B) Pour a
1500 x 1300 x 75-100mm deep concrete
slab in formwork made of old floorboards or
framing timber. This is easiest if you order a
small quantity of ready-mixed concrete once
the formwork is prepared. To limit cracking,
include a 1400 x 1200mm piece of F62
steel mesh in the centre of the concrete.
Once the concrete has set, keep the slab
wet to cure it properly. After 3-4 days, build a
1400 x 1200mm base made of 400 x 200
x 200mm hollow concrete blocks. Build up
the first 3 courses as shown.
STEP 2 Install a flat 1000 x 10mm-thick
galvanised steel lintel over the opening and
4 lengths of angle iron across the opening as
shown in the diagram. You will need to grind
off small vertical sections of the steel angles
of each end so they sit flat on the blocks.
Add the last course of blocks.
STEP 3 To support the thick oven floor, insert
a sheet of 12mm compressed fibre cement
onto the angle iron to form a well. You could
also pour a suspended concrete slab but this
would need formwork on the underside and
reinforcing. Fill the hollows of the concrete
blocks with concrete (with 5 or 10mm gravel
size) or stuff paper into the hole of the top
block to only fill the top 100mm or so.
STEP 4 Lay a bed of decomposed granite
(granitic gravel with some clay content) to
the level of the top of the blocks. Pack this
down well so it is hard. Avoid using sand as
it tends to shift and not pack down well. The
function of this thick bed is to absorb the
heat while the oven is heating up but it also
retains and returns heat to the oven once the
fire is out. It is especially good when baking
bread or cooking roasts.
STEP 5 Once the decomposed granite has
been packed tightly into the well, spread
and level a 10-15mm-thick layer of brickies
sand over the surface as a level bed for the
oven floor. This is easy to do by placing a
10-15mm batten each side of the well and
use this as screeding rails. The sand can
extend a little over the block work. Then
straighten the edges.
STEP 6 Mark in a front edge line, parallel
to the front and set back enough to
accommodate the tiles or other surrounding
surface, to create a handy workbench in front
of the oven opening. Also mark in a centre
line from front to back.
STEP 7 Starting at the front set-out line,
place the pavers upside down so that
square sharp edges face up and there are no
bevelled edges which would create grooves
in the oven floor. There is no need for mortar
between the pavers or bricks. Only cover the
floor area of the oven with the pavers. An oval
shape is much better for heat distribution
than a circular plan.
STEP 8 Form a skir t of pavers-on-edge
as the inner circumference of the oven
without gluing them down at this stage.
These pavers are strong enough to withstand
the wear and tear of the oven broom and
also protect the lower section from burning
timber bumping into the oven wall. At this
stage, make sure you leave plenty of room to
the outside of the skirt to allow for the bulk
fill and insulation, while still leaving space
for the tiling. And dont forget to leave a gap
of 65mm at the front of the oven to allow
for the door mould.
STEP 9 Once you are happy with the layout,
use a pencil to trace the position of the
skirting pavers on the oven floor. Apply a thin
coat of air-setting high-temperature mortar
or fireproof cement to the base and edge of
the pavers and set in place. Tap each paver
in place with a rubber mallet.
STEP 10 Wipe the bead of excess mortar
with your finger to create a neat coving
around the base of the skirt. Clean off any
excess with a damp sponge. Fill any gaps
between the floor and skirt with the same
material, then sponge back to make a clean
surface. Allow to dry.
GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES
n 0.2 cubic metres of ready-mix concrete or concrete mix
n Old floorboards or framing timber for formwork
n 1400 x 1200mm piece of F62 steel mesh
n 37 masonry blocks, 400 x 200 x 200 mm
n 2 half blocks for base (see Diagram A)
n 3-4 bags of mortar mix
n Flat 1000 x 10mm thick galvanised steel lintel
n 4 lengths of 32 x 32 x 4mm or 50 x 50 x 6mm x 900mm angle iron
n 1000 x 800 x 12mm compressed fibre cement sheet
n